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Should You Upgrade Your Business Apps?

Salem-News.com Business

Protect sensitive business and customer data on your computer system from attacks by hackers or malware.

As business needs change, it may be time to upgrade software.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Every business owner intermittently asks the same question over the years: “What's the most helpful software for my business?” It’s a question that often yields illuminating answers, because business software evolves at a rapid rate.

Sometimes, innovation is modest — a new version of an existing business app. At other times, it’s radical — introducing a much more efficient way to organize a business process.

Additionally, it's always a good idea to upgrade your software as your business needs change. As your company grows, you may need an upgraded version that offers more features, or you may even need to adopt a completely new type of software to optimize the processes of a new business development.

So if you’re on a quest to upgrade your software, here’s a short list of some systems that may prove useful for your business:

1. MRP software

If you have a manufacturing business, then Material Requirements Planning (MRP) will help you manage various phases in the manufacturing process, such as product planning and inventory control.

Its essential advantage is to make optimal use of all of your manufacturing resources; for instance, it reduces equipment downtime. As a result of decreased levels of inventory and far better use of your various production processes, your capital costs will decrease.

2. Security software

Security software, as you know, protects your computer or network from a variety of threats like viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, spam, adware, rootkits, and so on.

You probably already have antivirus software and encryption software, as well as firewall software and spyware removal software, so if you believe that you have premium quality security software, then you’re all set. Otherwise, if you suspect that there are better products in the market, then it’s worth taking the time and spending the money to do some research on security software that could enhance your protection.

Assuming that you have security software that you’re satisfied with, the most important thing is to make sure you regularly update it when you get a pop-up message. If you’re always busy when this happens, then you may default to clicking the “remind me later” button.

If this happens to be the case, then you’re not only compromising your computer system's security, but also affecting the usability and compatibility of other software.

By staying on top of updates, you’ll close off security vulnerabilities that arise when hackers exploit a weakness in your antivirus program, improve overall computing functionality and eliminate any bugs that may have existed in previous versions of the security software.

In summary, using high-quality security software and updating your security software regularly will protect the sensitive business and customer data on your computer system from targeted or random attacks by either hackers or malware.

Additionally, if you’re in a highly competitive industry, having safeguards in place reduces the likelihood that you'll becoming a victim of corporate espionage.

3. Business Intelligence

If you’re looking for a way to improve your business, increase employee satisfaction and win over more customers, then you may want to consider using business intelligence software. This software, usually referred to by the abbreviated term “BI,” helps you analyze mission-critical business data, which is essential for gaining insights into your company’s strengths and weaknesses.

Making Better Software Decisions

When you first launched your business, you probably had so much on your plate related to getting your business moving that you may not have spent much time focusing on the best software to use. However, as your business matures, it’s important to take time out to analyze your various business needs and see if there are any apps to optimize the way you perform various business tasks.

While new software is rarely a silver bullet, making just a few wise decisions can help your business grow at a much faster clip. When researching business applications, some basic rules of thumb are to get everyone on board and integrate as much as possible.

In addition, don’t scrimp; ask for help from IT professionals and, of course, customize the apps you purchase to fit your unique business needs.